The Rubies of July
by TheCartoonFanatic01
Summary: SPIN-OFF TO "MIDSUMMER TRAGEDY"! What was life like for the Sweetwater family prior to the massacre at the Mid-Summer's Festival? A series of one-shots featuring and following Adyson and her cousin Ben in randomly-picked days that precede July 16, 2015! EXPERIMENTING WITH ONE-SHOTS! R&R! Chapter 1 is contest submission for humanusscriptor!
1. Welcome

**A/N:** Hey, everyone! Bet you didn't see THIS coming! Neither did I.

Well, I was inspired to write this story for two reasons. Reason one: humanusscriptor's contest in his "Best PnF Author Awards" story. Reason two: robertdevine2011's review that stated that I should've made more Ben/Adyson. So, this first chapter is my submission to humanusscriptor's contest, while the rest are related one-shots. And besides, I thought I'd try my hand at writing one-shots, since I have yet to do so.

This story will be shorter than my usual stories, at about 13-15 chapters, maybe a maximum of 20, depending on how popular this story is.

IN NO WAY IS THIS A SEQUEL TO "MIDSUMMER TRAGEDY", THOUGH! THINK OF IT AS A SPIN-OFF!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything in "Phineas and Ferb", other than my OCs! The rest belong to Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh.

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_**Welcome**_

* * *

**July 30, 2014**

Benjamin 'Ben' Sweetwater had never felt so miserable in his entire life. In one blink of an eye, he was finally about to have his first taste of freedom: driving a car. And, in another blink, he was ramming into by another vehicle during his first drive. In yet another blink, he was watching his parents being killed, before his eyes... He still had horrible nightmares about their bodies flailing about, smashing against the frame of the car's interior, as glass flew everywhere and the screeching of tires hammered away at his eardrums...

He felt stuck in an animal trap clenched around his ankle, its teeth digging into his flesh painfully. It was all so painful...

They all say that it'll be okay. He was gonna live with his relatives in Danville. That was what everyone was saying. That everything was gonna be okay. But no. Ben _knew_ everything wasn't gonna be okay, and never will be. He practically _killed_ his parents, saw them _die_...

No one understood. No one.

"We're here, Ben," the Social Services agent, Darren, said as the car pulled up alongside the sidewalk.

Ben looked up. He had only been to Danville once before in his life, and he had never remembered his uncle and aunt's house. It was the average suburban home, two floors, a garage, a window belonging to the master bedroom that overlooked the street, a nice grassy front yard, a front door meant to look welcoming...

But Ben didn't feel welcome. He knew he was being a nuisance, butting into his uncle, aunt, and cousins' lives, being dropped in their care out of nowhere. He knew he never belonged in that house in the first place. He didn't belong anywhere except with his parents.

And they're dead.

"It's okay, Ben," Darren said as he helped Ben out of the car. The teenage boy pursed his lips: this was the 1,382nd time he said that everything was okay. That's right, he had kept count. And it was getting very irritating. However, Ben silently followed Darren up the pathway leading to the Sweetwaters' front door.

As Darren rang the doorbell, Ben looked down at the doormat. It read 'WELCOME'. He felt tears prick at the back of his eyes. He didn't feel welcome. And he felt like the doormat was _mocking_ him, trying to make him feel all safe and sound! How dare it, he was thinking? He had just experienced a terrible tragedy, and now, even the damn _doormat_ was trying to tell him that it was okay and that things will be better afterwards? He just wanted to pick up the doormat and tear it to shreds. His fists became clenched, and they trembled severely...

He heard the door open. He looked up.

In the doorway stood the four people he would have to call his family from now on. Randy, his uncle, tall, balding, with graying brown hair. Kathy, his aunt, gentle-faced and kindly, with straight dark-brown hair with a bottom curve and bangs. Joyce, his five-year-old cousin, short, cute, and looking up at him with sparkling, lively green eyes. Adyson, his cousin, a year younger, looking just like her mother and her sister, smiling lovingly at him.

They were all holding a poster that read 'WELCOME HOME, BEN'.

"Welcome home, Ben," they all chorused, as gently as they could, to try and avoid any potential incidents; Joyce hiccuped a little.

Ben's eye twitched. They were all mocking him, the whole lot of them, he kept thinking! Mocking him, mocking him, MOCKING HIM! They all don't KNOW! None of them! He had this sudden urge to grab their poster, tear it up into the tiniest of pieces, yell at them, deride them for not understanding. He wanted to do ANYTHING that would make them all understand the unbearable pain and agony that he was feeling. Nothing else mattered to him as long as that goal was accomplished!

And yet...he couldn't stay mad. No. The moment he saw the poster, with all of the detail, hard work, and unconditional love that was obviously put into it, and heard the kind, compassionate voices, a new emotion overcame him.

Grief.

Feeling everything melt around him, Ben broke down in tears and collapsed against the wall, burying his face in his arms. Randy, Kathy, and Darren, they crowded around him, picking him up, telling him everything was all right, while Adyson and Joyce watched, the former pitifully, the latter curiously.

As Ben was escorted into the living room, where he sat on a sofa and was comforted by his uncle and aunt, one thought crossed his mind.

It was all too late for him. This was his home now. Everything here, it was his. He was welcome here.

And yet...he still couldn't feel welcome.

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**Next One-Shot: **Cousin

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**A/N:** HA! Surprising, huh? I'm pretty sure I'm gonna enjoy this! And don't worry about me having a full plate. I believe I was able to handle five stories at once. And besides, considering the fact that these chapters will be short, and the fact that I update only one of my stories sporadically, I wouldn't call my workload a full plate. Also, do consider this as a little resting ground while I continue to wonder if I should do the "Summer of Love" sequel or not, along with my new "Pokémon" story.

Well, hope you enjoyed this one-shot! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!

**P.S.:** humanusscriptor, I hope you enjoyed this one-shot! I don't think this'll guarantee a passage into the next round, but whatever. I'm only in this for the WRITING!


	2. Cousin

**_Cousin_**

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**August 1, 2014**

"**AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!**"

Ben shot up on his bed, screaming as loud as he could into the pitch-black darkness that held him in its grip. Minutes ago, he had a very horrible dream. He was back in the car with his parents again, he was plowing into that other car again, he was watching his parents dying again, he was feeling the shards of glass and hearing the crashing of metal again, his world was spinning around him again... It was the accident, all over again... It had always been every night, for two nights now...

Light suddenly consumed the darkness. Adyson, startled by his earsplitting scream, had turned on the lamp the two shared. Ever since he moved in, he had to go and share a bedroom with Adyson. It was rather unfortunate, in his opinion; his cousin had quite a liking for shades of red, as evidenced by the colors of the walls and the ceiling. It really reminded him of the blood that poured out of his parents' faces, necks, arms, and torsos, like pouring fountains...

He couldn't take it anymore. He threw up over the bedside, falling out of the bed. His face fell into the pool of vomit, and the smell of it assaulted his lungs.

"BEN!" Adyson exclaimed, running over to his side. "Ben, are you okay?!"

She put a hand on his wrist, but Ben immediately crawled away from her to the corner of the wall and huddled against it like a scared child.

"Ben, it's okay, I'm here," said Adyson.

"Leave me alone," Ben moaned, trembling severely. "Go away..."

"Ben, there's no need to be afraid-"_  
_

"YES, THERE IS! WHY CAN'T YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND?! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"

Adyson reluctantly sat on Ben's bed. "Ben, I-"

"SHUT UP!"

Adyson immediately stopped talking. She just kept watching as Ben continued to cry and tremble at the corner. At one point, she had gotten up, retrieved some paper towels from her nearby desk, and thoroughly cleaned up her cousin's vomit. A few hours had passed, and finally, Ben stopped crying. He still continued to tremble, only not as much; his face was buried in his arms. Adyson took this time to sit beside Ben.

"Ben, do...do you wanna talk now?" she asked cautiously.

"Go away, Addie," he replied bitterly.

"Ben, you were _never_ like this. You were such a cool guy. Don't you remember that, Ben?"

"Why the hell should I? Those so-called good memories just bring up the bad ones. ...You have NO idea what kind of pain I am going through right now."

"Yes, I do-"

"NO, YOU DON'T! THEY WERE MY PARENTS, AND I GOT THEM KILLED!"

"They were my uncle and aunt, Ben. And you're my cousin. My _favorite_ cousin. Where's the old Ben I used to love? The one who'd always joke around with me? The one who'd always take my side against my other cousins? The one who told me that I'd still be important in the family even if Joyce was now in the picture, and always will be, at least to him? The one who _helped_ introduce Joyce to me? Where is he, Ben?"

Ben stood up and sat on his bed. "He's dead, Adyson. He died in that car accident. I'm just his goddamn shell." He looked away from his cousin. "Maybe you should do him and yourself a good favor and dispose of me already, like the useless shell I am."

Adyson stood up and sat beside Ben. "He's not dead, Ben. He's in you, somewhere. He _is_ you. Ben, I know life sucks right now-"

"That's the understatement of the millennium," Ben said sarcastically.

"Ben, I _know_ what kind of pain you're going through. Your parents were my uncle and aunt. They were MY family too. You saw how sad I was during the-" She broke off in an instant upon spotting the dark look flooding Ben's pale face. "But...But...Oh God, I honestly don't know how I'm gonna say this to you."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Maybe you can start by not talking. That'll be a good start."

"Ben, you're my cousin. You're my _family_. And since you're a part of my family, I love you, with all my heart. But you can't _be_ like this! I know why you're acting like this, and I understand why. But if you act like this, you're just making things harder for yourself. Your mom and dad wouldn't want that, would they?"

Ben shot her a nasty glare. "Maybe, but then again, I don't know WHAT they're thinking of me right now because they're DEAD."

And with that, he went back into his bed and closed his eyes. Adyson watched him as he tried to sleep. She sighed sadly.

"Oh, Ben..."

She stood up, walked over to her own bed, got in it, and shut off the lamp. As darkness overwhelmed the bedroom again, she turned over on her bed and watched as Ben laid on his own, staring silently in the ceiling. Then, she heard him weeping quietly.

_"Ben, I'm trying to be a good cousin to you. What else do you want me to do?"_

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**Next One-Shot:** Appointment

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**A/N:** Well, nothing much to say here. I apologize for the slight delay; I've now been busy with practicing for SAT testing that I'm gonna be taking next year.

I'd like to thank those who reviewed (cannot answer reviews right now):

**PnFbiggestfan**

**henryleland**

**robertdevine2011**

**woodland5 (guest reviewer)**

**humanusscriptor**

**LaptopWriter22**

**random guy (guest reviewer)**

**Nyk-a-flika-flame1014**

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	3. Appointment

**A/N:** One month without an update on this one. I am SO SORRY for the delay. My senior year at high school just started, and I was busy with my "Pokémon" story. But now, I'm able to update this after **SO LONG**! HOORAY! JUBILATIONS! ...Hopefully no one gave up on this while waiting...

ENJOY!

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_**Appointment**_

* * *

**August 11, 2014**

"Good morning, Ben," greeted Dr. Bell as the teenage boy stepped inside his office. The warm sunlight shone from his sole window, which was currently open, letting in the noises of two birds perched on a tree branch outside, chirping, giving a natural air of tranquility to the office.

Ben bitterly muttered something in response. The psychologist frowned with disappointment, but closed the door behind the boy, and the two then sat down, Bell on an armchair that looked rather comfortable, Ben on a sofa that he constantly shifted on as if he were sitting on a wet, mossy, infested log instead.

"So, how's the past week been?" Bell asked.

"Fucking horrible," replied Ben. "I went shopping with my cousin and her _friends_..." He rolled his eyes. "All of her happy-go-lucky fucking friends..."

Bell smiled, much to Ben's horror. "I honestly don't see the problem in shopping with them, Ben! You're being social! That's exactly what we've been discussed on you doing to recover! To socialize and to have fun with them! That's great progress, Ben, that really is! I'm happy for you-"

"Well, **I'm** not," snapped Ben. "The shopping trip was _terrible_. They made me carry all the bags while they **BITCHED** on and _on_ and ON about boys and their problems and all of that other teenage girl crap! They all made me fucking SICK. Especially their stupid smiles-"

"What's wrong with their smiles, Ben? What is it about them that incurs your hatred?"

"They're so..._happy_. They don't _know_ about grief and horror and guilt, what it can DO to you..." Ben gritted his teeth and violently slammed his fist into the sofa. "Oh no, oh fucking HELL no, the only thing they KNOW is gossiping and bitching and shopping and a whole other bunch of SHIT! It sickens me so! They don't know and they do not care at all! God, I hate them! I HATE THEM ALL! THEY ALL SHOULD EXPERIENCE WHAT **I** EXPERIENCED-"

"Ben, what you speak of is irrationality," interrupted Bell in protest. "People _do_ know what it feels like to lose a loved one. Everywhere in the world, there are people who have suffered a severe loss that takes a toll on their mind and body. You are not alone in this world-"

"Maybe not, but I'm alone HERE." Ben stared at the psychologist. "Is there ANYONE in the fucking Tri-State Area that knows what I feel? Huh? _Huh_?! **HUH**?!"

Bell hesitated for a moment. "Well," he began, "I'll admit that the crime rate in the Tri-State Area is extremely low, as are traffic accidents and freak accidents of nature, that I'll say, but just because you can't find anyone else you can relate to doesn't mean-"

"Yes, it means EXACTLY what it says," snarled Ben. He looked away from Bell and stared out of the window, watching the two birds on the tree branch. "Do you know what I think, Dr. Bell? D'you wanna know what I feel about all of this? It's your job, right? Well, I feel that this world is no longer for ME. I feel so disconnected, so out of it. Detached. Out of place. The superfluous variable in the equation. I just wanna get rid of myself already-"

"Ben, suicide is NOT an option," Bell interrupted. "Let's not talk about your misery. Let's talk about what's gonna make you _happy_."

"Okay. The thing that's gonna make me happy is taking people with me when I die. Make sure everyone feels what I feel. That way, I _won't_ be the only one..."

Bell was alarmed by what he was hearing. But...he didn't seem _deterred_ by it. He didn't detect any sincerity in the teenager's tone. It sounded only like a desperate boy channeling out his anger through detailing violence. This was just a boy embroiled in the midst of tragedy, nothing more. Most likely so.

"Is there...anything else?" he asked.

"Nothing else could be better."

Bell blinked before continuing, "Ben, that's not an effective way to make you happy. To ensure others feel your pain. It wouldn't be fair to those who lost loved ones."

"Well, it wasn't fair to ME when **I **lost my parents! It wasn't fair to me, so it won't be fair to them. But now, in the end of it all, it'll all be FAIR."

Ben looked at the psychologist with a slight, satisfied smirk on his face. Bell's eyes widened; there was something about that smirk that seemed so..._inhuman_...

The birds suddenly chirped again. Ben growled and yelled as loud as he could at the birds, causing them to fly off, chirping in surprise. Bell watched silently as the birds flew off, away from the tree that he knew was their place to frequent for weeks now. He then looked at Ben, who was panting, still smirking that smirk. He frowned in disappointment in the fact that Ben still hadn't changed since their last visit...and probably even more... He wondered if he should make a note of it...

"I think that'll be all for today," Bell said.

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**Next One-Shot:** Friends

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**A/N:** And Dr. Bell's inability to report Ben's brash behavior cost the lives of 37 people. Tragic. Well, as you can see, Dr. Bell wasn't mentioned in "Midsummer Tragedy", something that I've noticed as well. Which means that we might see him again a couple more times to wrap up his story somehow.

I'd like to thank those who reviewed (cannot answer reviews right now):

**Galaxina-the-Seedrian**

**woodland5 (guest reviewer)**

**random guy (guest reviewer)**

**wanttobealozer (guest reviewer)**

**Woodenclaw (guest reviewer)**

**Nyk-a-flika-flame1014**

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	4. Friends

**A/N:** Wow. I nearly forgot about this story. I am very sorry, guys. I've been caught up in trying to finish my current Pokémon stories and also deciding on which fandom I should write for next. But obviously, I'm back onto this story, and I shall get on with it. ENJOY!

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_**Friends**_

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**August 18, 2014**

"Right this way, Ben," the tall and gentle-faced doctor told him reassuringly as he guided the teenage boy toward a door, one of many in a long hallway in the middle of a mental-health facility. It had been just a couple of hours ever since Ben attempted to commit suicide at the pool party hosted by Isabella. When Randy and Kathy were informed of what had happened, they immediately signed up an appointment with Dr. Bell, who recommended that Ben be sent to a mental-health facility.

Ben didn't know why everyone was wasting their time to help him out. He wanted to die. Wasn't that a right? If that was what people wanted to do, to die, then why couldn't everyone just respect their decisions on how to turn their life for the self-perceived better? It was understandable, sure; after all, no one wants to see anyone take their life by their own hand. But what about the rights and decisions of the loved one himself or herself? Didn't it count too?

"Alright, here's your room, Ben," the doctor said suddenly, pulling him from his thoughts. Ben found himself facing a door, marked with the number 13.

_"How fitting,"_ thought Ben grimly.

As the doctor opened the door, Ben thought about Adyson, who talked him down from killing himself in the first place. He began to regret listening to her sentiments. It made him feel furious at her, actually. She didn't understand, he kept thinking to himself. She didn't understand what he was feeling, not at all! It did not matter if she said otherwise. All she had done the entire time he was with her was record her life with that stupid camera and talk with her friends.

Friends...

As he stepped inside the room that was to be his home for the next month or so, Ben felt his heart opening up a new chamber, which was filling with rage and hatred reserved for Phineas, Ferb, and all of the other people that Adyson called her good friends..._his_ good friends...

Every time he saw Adyson's friends, they were always wearing those smiling faces of theirs, using those soft and caring voices of theirs, like they had no other care in the world. It annoyed him greatly every time he saw their smiles, and it made him wonder if they were capable of feeling any degree of suffering. He doubted it; every goddamn time he was with them, they were always doing something fun to pass the day, all thanks to some damn contraption invented by Phineas and Ferb.

Phineas and Ferb...

Those two annoyed him the most. They always promoted fun, happiness, and optimism. But Ben knew that their message, and their morals were _wrong_. Dead wrong. He too was fun-loving, happy, and optimistic. That is, until he saw his parents die in front of him in a flash of flying glass, a vortex of chaotic sounds, a rain of red blood.

It was during that moment when he realized that he was a fool for seeing and living life that way. He now knew that life was nothing more than a mask, obscuring its true facial features: the scars of reality, which incorporated suffering, sadness, misery, and hopelessness. And he also knew that it was completely easy to take off the mask, given that all of the circumstances are met. Ben wished Phineas and Ferb and Adyson and all of the others realized that, and through the hardest way possible.

They wanted to be his friends. But Ben remembered something Phineas said to him, during his first week as a permanent resident of Danville.

_**"We wanna be your friends, Ben, but we have to be on the same page."**_

They wanted to be his _friends_. But Ben realized that they had to be on the same page. And they cannot be on the same page unless they _understood_.

...Unless they understood _completely_...

And yet, they didn't. And he hated them for that.

The door closed loudly, bringing him back from his thoughts again. He found himself standing in a simple bedroom, occupied by two beds, a small table holding a poorly-lit lamp, and a desk with drawers. There was an unwelcoming air in the atmosphere. Ben now wished he slit his throat back at the pool party...

He glanced at the bed that was near him, and saw that it was already occupied by a boy who was around his age, with wiry and long black hair, a horse-like face with pimples decorating the pale skin, and gray eyes. Ben stared at the boy, not speaking a word, and the boy stared back with his gray eyes.

Ben didn't know if this was part of his imagination, or possibly because of the fact that the two of them would be roommates for God knows how long, but he felt some sort of spiritual connection with the boy. Indeed, a strange color flooded the boy's eyes, as if he was feeling the exact same thing. The room was quiet, but it no longer felt as uncomfortable as before. Ben watched as the boy sat up on his bed, strands of his black hair falling over his forehead.

"Hey," the boy greeted.

"Hey," Ben replied.

"I see you're new."

"Yeah."

"Hopefully you're better than the last one. He annoyed me like shit."

Ben shrugged. "It depends."

It was silent again. The boy's lips twitched into a smile.

"Name's Tyler," he said.

"Ben," replied Ben, smiling as well.

For once, Ben felt as if he finally found someone who was on the same page as him. Someone who could be his friend.

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**Next One-Shot:** News

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**A/N:** Sadly, his friend dragged him into committing a mass shooting and then dying. :(

I'd like to thank those who reviewed (cannot answer reviews right now):

**random guy (guest reviewer)**

**woodland59 (guest reviewer)**

**PnFbiggestfan**

**Galaxina-the-Seedrian**

**LaptopWriter22**

**robertdevine2011**

**TheShippingMaster**

**humanusscriptor**

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


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